


Dodging the Mistletoe

by ChillyHollow



Category: Cormoran Strike Series - Robert Galbraith
Genre: Christmas Party, F/M, First Kiss
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-24
Updated: 2020-12-24
Packaged: 2021-03-10 20:01:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,057
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28172832
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChillyHollow/pseuds/ChillyHollow
Summary: Robin and Cormoran are going to the Herberts' house for Christmas dinner but Ilsa has hung mistletoe!
Relationships: Robin Ellacott/Cormoran Strike
Comments: 11
Kudos: 30
Collections: Denmark Street Discord Sekrit Santa 2020





	Dodging the Mistletoe

**Author's Note:**

  * For [CupofTia](https://archiveofourown.org/users/CupofTia/gifts).



> Prompts: Mistletoe, first kiss and party games (I stretched these last two a bit to fit.)
> 
> WARNING: Set the Christmas just after Troubled Blood ends, so there are some spoilers if you haven’t read that book.

“There’s mistletoe hanging over the fridge door,” Robin whispered.Strike had just arrived but Robin had been here for over thirty minutes, since she’d driven and he’d taken the Tube, coming from separate directions as he’d been at his sister Lucy’s and she had been at the flat.They were here for Nick and Ilsa’s Christmas Day party.Strike nodded and rolled his eyes in exasperation as he hung up his coat on the coat rack just inside the Herberts’ front door.Ilsa’s attempts to throw them together were getting more and more blatant.“Here’s what we are going to do….”

“We need more drinks!” said Ilsa exuberantly.“Corm, would you and Robin do the honors?There’s plenty of beer and wine in the refrigerator.” 

“Nick, what’s that exotic vodka you were talking about?Show me while we fetch drinks for the ladies and ourselves.”Nick headed down the hall after Strike despite his wife shooting daggers at him from her expressive eyes.Robin snickered to herself, then asked Ilsa about her current court battle.It was always interesting to hear about law and justice from another perspective.

Strike took the opened bottle of wine Robin and Ilsa were sharing from the refrigerator while Nick rummaged in the cabinet and found the bottle of Hanson Habanero vodka.He showed it to Strike who said they should take it with them and sample it in Bloody Marys tomorrow morning.(The Herberts still thought Strike was spending the night with them.They didn’t know Robin had driven the Land Rover so she could take Strike home with her for an overnight stay, since her roommate had already gone for Christmas and they’d have the flat to themselves.)Strike then looked up, pretended to notice the mistletoe, and planted a big wet kiss on Nick’s cheek.Nick turned bright red.Strike grinned and took their beers and the wine back to the living room, followed by a sheepish Nick with his vodka bottle.

A few drinks and some mixed nuts, pretzels, and chocolate truffles later, Ilsa and Robin were in the kitchen, dishing up the roast with veg Ilsa had prepared and taking the rolls Robin had made out of the oven.Ilsa opened the refrigerator door to get the butter and was surprised when Robin hugged and kissed her, then pointed to the mistletoe.Ilsa laughed and hugged Robin back.“Merry Christmas, Ilsa!”Robin said.“Thanks for having me for Christmas Day.”

“We love having you over.When Corm told us you were staying in London for Christmas instead of going home to be embarrassed by the ex and his new wife and baby, well, it was a no brainer.”

“Mum called last night to say that Matthew and Sarah are parading all over town with a six month old baby after getting married three months ago.

Ilsa rolled her eyes.“As if anyone cared.Still, I bet they got some snickers.That guy’s got a lot of nerve telling everyone you cheated on him when he’s the one with the baby born six weeks after your divorce was final and three months before he married the mother.” 

“Well, I am glad I avoided the talk and stayed in London.Let Matthew have his moment in the sun.I was just as glad to avoid the whole thing.My mother is furious with Matt and that’s all she can talk about.She needs to move on.It also would be nice if she’d stop asking me if I’ve met anyone and plotting to invite single guys over to the house during my trips to Masham.” 

Ilsa agreed parents could be totally clueless without appearing to find it ironic that she was also endlessly trying to set Robin up with Cormoran who happened to be one of Ilsa’s oldest friends.The mistletoe was only the latest of her strategies.There had been the constant curry night invitations, the probing questions, the maneuvers to make sure Robin and Cormoran sat together at social events—it had all been quite embarrassing but Strike had taken it in stride, so Robin had attempted to do the same and ignore or deflect Ilsa’s determined match-making. 

Then there had been her magical thirtieth birthday.Things had changed between the business partners then.The change was solidified when Robin had boldly kissed her partner in their empty office just before taking him to the Tottenham for fish and chips and beer to celebrate his turning forty.That was just a month ago and they’d been a couple under the radar ever since. 

After dinner the football game was on.The men were cheering their teams while Robin knitted and Ilsa browsed the latest furniture store catalogue.She and Robin were trying to decide on the perfect long, narrow table for the entrance hall.“I need something for my purse and Nick’s keys and wallet, plus gloves and scarves.We are always losing our gloves and scarves in the top closet shelf.”They finally got a measuring tape and plotted the perfect length, then used that to narrow down the choices.Ilsa asked Nick to look over her three top selections, so Robin relinquished her spot next to Ilsa and settled in next to Strike.

He looked at her and said very quietly in her ear, “Ready for the finale?”She nodded.Strike got up and headed to the kitchen where he got two beers out of the fridge before he reached up and pulled down the mistletoe.He put the sprig in his shirt pocket and headed back to the living room where he gave Nick a beer and sat his own beer on a coaster on the coffee table.Then he sat down next to Robin, took the mistletoe out of his pocket, held it over her head and kissed her thoroughly and enthusiastically.Robin reciprocated by putting her arms around his neck and kissing him back, equally enthusiastically.

Nick noticed right away and nudged Ilsa who looked around, then started jumping up and down with glee.Strike pulled away from Robin slightly so they could rest their foreheads together and entwine their hands.Strike’s still held the mistletoe.This was their first public kiss and they wanted to savor it. 

In the background Ilsa was squealing and dancing around. Nick was smiling.Merry Christmas!


End file.
